The Unquestionable Link Between Nutrition and Pain

It may be surprising for you to learn that a poor diet could be exacerbating your chronic pain. But how? A poor diet can cause inflammation of the entire body, lead to possible vitamin deficiencies and weight gain.

Inflammatory Foods

Although different people respond differently to different foods, there are a few main culprits that tend to cause inflammation in the majority of people. These foods include sugar, dairy, gluten, and processed/refined foods.

Transitioning to a whole, natural food diet can significantly enhance progress in physical therapy as well as help relieve some pain.

Vitamin Deficiencies

Vitamin deficiencies can exacerbate or even cause chronic pain. When was the last time you consumed the recommended 3-5 servings of vegetable per day?

It is believed that vitamin D deficiency contributes to painful autoimmune conditions such as arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

Other nutrient deficiencies in things like Vitamin A, C, selenium, and zinc could also be exacerbating your chronic pain. It is important to eat a “rainbow” of vegetables of all shapes and sizes. Bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, zucchini, squash, beets, eggplant, arugula, spinach, kale, etc. Also, eating high-quality organic proteins is important when it comes to getting vital nutrients.

Weight Gain

Okay, now let’s talk about the added benefit of eating a healthy diet: Weight loss. Think about it this way, if I gave you a 20 lb dumbbell and made you carry it around in a backpack all day, how would that you move and feel? That would obviously exacerbate any chronic pain that you currently have. It would also probably make your joints ache and cause back pain. The same thing goes for excess body fat. In addition, body fat tends to sabotage our energy levels that could have been used to perform physical activity—indirectly leading to painful, chronic headaches, digestive issues, mood disturbances, poor sleep quality, and poor immune responses, just to name a few.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you’re interested in learning more about how individualized nutritional coaching could help you reduce pain and inflammation, schedule your FREE consultation today!